Color Options Increase Design Flexibility

A variety of new color options are now available for designers requiring special palettes or custom colors for unusual applications. The concentrate packages and masterbatches are tailored for specific applications in the transportation, packaging and recreational-sports industries.

For instance, Clariant Masterbatches Div. has developed a spectrum of custom colorant and additive concentrate packages for a line of Contura switches from Carlingswitch Inc., Plainville, Conn. Made primarily for the transportation market, which includes marine, recreation, and off-highway equipment, the switches require environmentally sound color concentrates that withstand harsh operating conditions and meet numerous international regulatory certifications. The resulting packages contain more than 50 color options with a custom additive masterbatch combination of UV stabilizers, impact modifiers, and tougheners.

For the recreational sports market, color master-batches with metallic effects give ski boots and bindings a high-tech appearance. Clariant’s line is formulated for injection molding of PU resin for durability, scratch resistance, and color longevity. Developed with Italian designer Francesca Valone, the masterbatches color-coordinate molded ski bindings, top layers, and boot accessories made from POM and PA, a process less costly than metallic casting or painting.

Translucent color masterbatches offer the packaging industry many options to ensure products are highly visible in the eyes of the consumer. Ideal for transparent (PS, PC, SAN, PET) and translucent (PP, PE) polymers which are often used in the personal care and cosmetics industries, the translucent color masterbatches provide processors with flexible product properties and tight control over color shades. Enhancements such as antistats, UV absorbers, and UV stabilizers offer additional design flexibility.

Information for this article was provided by Clariant Masterbatches Division, Easton, Md.